Yobs spared vest of shame

Most yobs are being spared "vests of shame" while carrying out community service, it was claimed yesterday.

Most yobs are being spared "vests of shame" while carrying out community service, it was claimed yesterday.

The orange jackets were launched by Justice Secretary Jack Straw this month in an attempt to show non-custodial sentences are not a soft option.

But probation officers' union Napo - which has argued against the bibs emblazoned with the words "community payback" - said 39 out of 52 placement programmes it contacted had not used them.

The union believes they put offenders at risk of attack and human rights campaigners have branded them "medieval justice". Napo leader Harry Fletcher said charities and community groups running payback schemes shared the objections and added: "It's already time to review this unnecessary policy."

But Justice Minister David Hanson said the vests were working well in most areas.